Brand Virat Kohli outruns M S Dhoni in TV visibility

MUMBAI: Even as controversies hound M S Dhoni, arguably the biggest sports celebrity brand in India, his likely successor on the field has become a compelling choice for marketers.


Virat Kohli - touted as the next Indian cricket captain - has seen his presence on television through advertisements shore up by over 200% over the last one year, according to media tracking agency TAM, on the back of the 13 brands that he endorses currently. And it's not only his visibility on television that has gone up. His overall earnings from endorsements too have shot up to as much as Rs 40 crore.

The Delhi lad's annual endorsement fee, which went up to Rs 3 crore per brand last year, has now touched Rs 6 crore, rivaling the likes of Bollywood heartthrob Ranbir Kapoor. Kohli's youth, good looks and attitude make him a compelling proposition for brand endorsements, say experts. According to TAM data, which was shared with TOI, it is for the first time that the youngster has overtaken his skipper Dhoni in terms of visibility on the telly during the first three months of 2013. Dhoni earns Rs 100 crore annually and is the top ranked sports brand ambassador, charging Rs 8-10 crore for each brand annually.

Sunil Kataria, executive VP (marketing & sales) at Godrej Consumer Products said Kohli conveyed Cinthol's new image and positioning very well, which is the reason for him being signed on post the brand's relaunch last year. "As Virat is a youth icon, he connects well with our target audiences who are all consuming media through social media channels," he said. Swiss foods brand Nestle has never had a sports celebrity as its ambassador till they got on board Kohli recently.

"Last year, we decided we did not want to do run-of-the-mill associations for Kohli as we do not want to saturate his brand equity. Due to this, we have dropped a few brands," said Bunty Sajdeh, CEO, Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment, who has been managing Kohli since 2009.

Among cricketers, currently Kohli, 24, has the potential in the long run to replace Sachin Tendulkar and Dhoni in the endorsement arena, said celebrity managers. "He is the only safe betat the moment. However, on the whole, cricket has too much volatility and negativity," said Anirban Das Blah, chief executive and managing director, CAA Kwan, a celebrity management agency.